We Are Young
by Fire The Canon
Summary: Hermione didn't have many friends when she first started at Hogwarts, and the school's two renowned pranksters took her under their belt. What a bad move that was - for many reasons. For underthelane.


_**Written for underthelane as part of the Gift Giving Extravaganza**_

_**Written for opaque-girl's Travel Go Challenge, using the prompts 'lights; apple; We Are Young - Fun'**_

_**Written for Uni Shall Not Sink's HeadCanon Boot Camp using the prompt 'Mini Fred and George'**_

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**We Are Young**

She'd had such high hopes when she was first told she'd been accepted into a _magic school_. When Professor McGonagall came to her house to tell her parents, everything suddenly made sense. Everything was explained. The reason she always mysteriously weaved her way out of danger, or was able to make things happen when she wanted them to was standing right in front of her. She was a witch. A _Muggleborn_, as McGonagall had put it. She could do magic.

And the most exciting thing about it all was that this would be a place she could finally fit in. Her other, normal, school hadn't been very kind to her. People thought she was weird – even the teachers seemed frightened of her at times – and most days she'd find a quiet spot in the playground and read a book. At this school, though, she'd be like everyone else. They'd probably think she was more strange if she _couldn't_ do magic. So she studied everything really hard before she even boarded the train. That way, she'd know as much as everyone else who'd grown up in a magical family.

That was what she'd thought, at least. Professor McGonagall met them on the 'Muggle' side of King's Cross Station. She'd mentioned something about guiding her and her parents through the barrier, and once she'd suspiciously followed the deputy Headmistress through a wall, she gasped at the sight.

Her parents appeared just as bewildered that they'd made it through alive, and even more in awe at the steaming red engine in front of them and many people dressed in strange clothes.

Hermione was already in her robes, wanting to be prepared, but as she looked around, she realised that she already stood out. No one else was wearing the school robes.

"Now, you can put your trunk on the train, and then say goodbye," McGonagall instructed with a kind expression.

Hermione nodded, and she and her parents pushed their way through the crowd to reach a carriage.

"Now, dear, I've packed you some food for the trip," her mother said once she stepped off again, almost being tossed aside by some larger students. "You have a sandwich, and an apple, and some other little things."

"Thank you." She wrapped her arms tightly around her mother, then did the same for her father. She was going to miss them. Even when they'd learned what she was, they hadn't run away screaming. No, they'd supported her. She could tell it frightened them a little bit (especially when she started talking about the spells she would be learning) but they were okay, mostly.

"We'll miss you, darling," her mother continued. "Write to us."

"I promise," Hermione assured her, and then with one last hug each, she boarded the train, making sure to find a window where she could wave to her mum and dad until they were out of sight.

She found a compartment with a nice boy called Neville, and two other boys – Ernie and Justin. They were all just as scared as she was, and it turned out they knew less than her. Justin also came from a Muggle family, and she found herself feeling quite close to him in that respect. At least there was someone here who would understand her.

That train ride was also the time she met the famous Harry Potter. She'd read about him, but she'd kind of thought he'd be a lot nicer than what he actually was. He didn't like her very much, and he'd been quite rude. So had that boy with him, Ron Weasley. She was only trying to be nice.

But it seemed their dislike for her would carry on through the next few weeks, and it upset her more than it should have. They were the only ones remotely nice to her in Gryffindor, and that was saying something. The girls she shared a dormitory with were as bad as the girls she went to primary school with. They were all friends… and then it was just her. So she'd go to the library most evenings – then they'd tease her about that as well.

Any hope she'd had that Hogwarts would be different to her other school, slowly diminished within the first week. Magic or no magic, kids were still the same.

When the library became too boring for even her, she'd find herself studying in all kinds of places. That was when they found her. The infamous Weasley twins. The known troublemakers of Hogwarts.

"Hey, Granger."

She glanced up from her book as the pair of them sat across from her in the Great Hall, grinning mischievously at her. She was slightly bewildered to think that they even knew her name, let alone chose to sit with her, but she didn't let that show.

"Yes?" she asked casually.

"I heard our idiot brother is giving you a hard time… along with Harry Potter," one of them said (George, she thought).

She diverted her eyes away from them. "Oh, no," she said. "They're just being boys."

The twins snorted.

"No, Ron's just being Ron," the other – Fred, maybe – replied. "Can't speak for Harry, though."

Hermione shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she assured them calmly.

"No, no, it does," George said to her. "But we have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?"

"Yes, it means that –"

"I know what proposition means!" Hermione cut in irritably. "But whatever could you want from me?" The idea slightly frightened her. After all, they were well known for breaking plenty of school rules.

"Well, we'll make friends with you," Fred explained. "Or for you. Whatever you wish. As long as you help us for our Potions test tomorrow."

"W-what?" Why were they asking for her help? She'd been at Hogwarts for less than a month, and they were in their third year. They'd know plenty more than her.

"Yeah," Fred continued. "We make friends, you help us pass. Easy, right?"

Hermione wanted to tell them that no, it wasn't, but for some reason she agreed. They were the only two people to say anything pleasant to her for most of her time here, so why throw that away.

"Alright," she said. "But, don't blame me if you fail because I don't know anything."

It wasn't until a week later, when she overheard Ron telling Harry that his brothers' best subject was Potions, that she realised they'd tricked her. She was just another pawn in one of their pranks, and she was not going to let them get away with it.

She cornered them in the corridors one afternoon after class.

"You tricked me!" she said furiously, jabbing George in the chest. "You said you needed help with Potions, when Ron said it was your best subject.

"Oh, so you're talking to them now?" Fred questioned.

"No. But I heard him tell Harry that. Why would you lie to me?" She tried not to let it show, but it hurt that they would do that. Her only kind-of friend was Neville Longbottom here, but even he avoided her in favour of his dormitory friends.

The twins shared a look, and she was sure they were concocting some other elaborate lie for her; but then they turned genuine regretful eyes onto her, and her demeanour softened slightly.

"Er, sorry, Grange," Fred said. "We kind of just felt bad seeing you around by yourself and all." He shrugged. "Everyone needs a friend."

"I have plenty of friends, thank you!" Hermione lied.

"Yeah, us," George said. "We're plenty enough for everyone."

Hermione glared at the pair of them, not really sure how to respond. In truth, she'd enjoyed their friendship over the past week, but at the same time, they were much too _free_ for her. She'd never enjoyed breaking rules, and they'd never enjoyed rules. She didn't think it could work.

However, they were still her only friends here, and she supposed they'd done what they had done because they liked her. So she stuck by them.

And it turned out they were two of the very best friends one could have. She didn't agree with their ways, or their ideas, but they were both funny, kind, gentle and rather charming, she thought. They saw the brighter side to everything, and she liked that. Except for maybe when she was trying to study. Then they annoyed her.

It was just before Halloween and she was just finishing up some last minute work before she came down to dinner when she saw red hair stalk past one of the many rows of books. The teachers couldn't tell them apart, but Hermione did by now. She'd spent enough time with the twins to know what each of them looked like – even from a distance.

What Fred was doing in the library (they generally treated it like a place riddled with Dark Magic) she had no idea, but she found herself smiling at the idea. Maybe he could join her, and then maybe they could go to dinner together. That would be nice.

She opened her mouth to call out to him, but he'd spotted her first, and he made his way to her.

"Oh, I thought I'd find you in here," he said cheerfully, pulling a chair over to sit opposite her.

Hermione smiled again. So, he'd been looking for her….

"George and I need you," Fred continued, then seemed to reconsider. "Actually, no… I need you."

"Yes?" Her heart did a little jolt in her chest, which she thought was very silly. He probably only wanted her to help him with an assignment or something.

"Christmas is coming up, and you spend some time with Ron, don't you? Like, in classes?"

She resisted the urge to sigh. Most unfortunately.

"Well, George and I need to get him a present for Christmas, and we're not sure what. Mum would kill us if it's something that could potentially harm or embarrass him, so it's got to be something good, you know?"

Hermione nodded, though she was half tempted to suggest a good prank just to see Fred laugh.

"Well, he likes…." She hesitated. She didn't actually know what Ron liked. It wasn't like they were friends. Fred was his brother. He'd probably know more.

"Hm." Fred rested his chin on his hand. "He's tricky. Maybe we'll just send him a card or something. It'll be one thing more than what he'll give us."

"That sounds nice." She smiled at him, and he returned it. It seemed as if an idea was forming in his head, which worried her slightly. Only he could come up with something disastrous for a card.

"Yeah, thanks, Hermione." Fred got to his feet. "I'll work something out with George, I'm sure of it."

"You're welcome." She'd thought that maybe he'd wait for her to go to the Great Hall, but he was gone before she'd managed to close her book.

With a sigh, she left the library, being sure to extinguish the lamp-lights as she went. Madam Pince would have her head if she left them on and a book caught fire.

…

It started out as noticing the way he walked, or how nice his smile was. Or how funny he was. She liked that about him. His brother was perhaps just that bit more serious. She liked him, too, but there was something _charming_ about Fred Weasley that George Weasley didn't possess.

In class, she'd find herself subconsciously doodling his name into her books, then blushing when she realised. No one ever seemed to notice, which she was grateful for. Imagine what people would say if they thought she fancied Fred Weasley.

Maybe it would pass. That would be the best option, she thought. After all, it wasn't like he would say anything in return. She was only a child to him – someone who went to school with his little brother.

But the doodling and the daydreaming continued. She'd think about him when in class, when she was in the common room, and especially when he sat next to her in the Great Hall, or said hello to her as he passed her in a corridor. She'd always hope to stop him to talk, but it seemed his attention was always on George, or Lee Jordan, or Merlin forbid, Angelina Johnson.

She was nothing more than Ron's classmate to him.

…

She foolishly decided to write him a letter one day when she had finished her Charms assignment. She spent a good hour trying to find the perfect wording, trying to make it in a way that he would like. When she was satisfied, and took it back to Gryffindor common room, and waited for the perfect moment to get it to him.

That moment came at breakfast the following morning. He'd sat down beside her at the table, and his bag was left open between them. After she'd quickly downed her eggs and bacon, she slipped the note into is backpack without anyone noticing. She hurried away after that, awaiting – hopefully – his response.

And that response came many years later, when she had a family with his brother, was happily married, and the one that told her wasn't even him. It was his twin. It was Rose's second birthday when he found her sitting by herself in the yard of the Burrow, and he was smiling.

"He got your letter," was the first thing he said, plonking down in the grass beside her.

"What?" She frowned. Who had gotten her letter.

"Fred. All those years ago; he got it, and he felt awful for never acknowledging it. He was just… embarrassed."

Hermione smiled, nodding. "I'm sure I can forgive him," he said. "It only really bothered me for a few months."

"Well, it bothered him for years," George said to her. "It's one of his biggest regrets."

Hermione shrugged, turning her head to where her two-year-old daughter was splashing by the pond, her father standing nearby. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said. "I never meant to cause any harm."

George nodded.

"So, he didn't fancy me back, I assume?"

This time, George shrugged. "I don't know. He never said one way or the other, but he felt pretty guilty about it. I know that much."

Hermione smiled. "Well, I was pretty heartbroken at the time, but I…."

"Married his brother instead?" George offered with humour.

"I was eleven," Hermione finished.

"Hm, yeah. I think he probably just regretted not ever acknowledging that he got it. It's not really him."

"Oh well."

George smiled brightly at her. "Now, if he could say that, I'm sure he'd relax. I think he thought he'd broken you for life, or something. What an ego, huh?"

"Yeah. Maybe I should have told him how hurt I was… when I was eleven."

George laughed. "That would have made him feel worse. I bet he's watching us have this conversation now – watching us celebrate his niece's second birthday – and laughing at himself. Laughing at all of us."

Hermione nodded, smiling at her daughter once more. "Yeah," she agreed. "Probably." Because, after all, who knew what might have happened had Fred survived that battle. Who knew what things might have been different.

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_**It really is my head canon that Hermione's first crush was Fred, when she was really, really young. And basically everything that happened in here too is my head canon.**_

_**Note to everyone - I tried SOOOO hard to not include an ounce of Romione in here (it being my OTP and all) but it somehow managed to weave its way in there somehow. Oops. I tried.**_

_**Also, I ask that you all keep my hometown of Springwood in your thoughts right now. It, and the neighbouring suburb of Winmalee, were gravely affected by bushfires in the past 48 hours or so, and so many people I know and went to school with have lost their homes to fire. My house is not in danger currently, but my parents are on look-out. I wish I could be there, not 3 hours away :(**_

_**underthelane - I hope you liked.**_


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